Functionalization of nanodiamond particles with N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan

Nanodiamond (ND) particles are biocompatible with no cytotoxicity to cells and have large surface area to provide high affinity to biomolecules. These properties make nanodiamond an ideal candidate for drug delivery. Protein pharmaceuticals have been becoming powerful and indispensable in combating human diseases due to the fact that they have high specificity and activity even at relatively low concentration. The present work deals with functionalization of nanodiamond particles for protein drug delivery applications. N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) is employed to modify the surface properties of pristine ND particles which has been proved to be successful by a series of characterizations: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, zeta-potential measurement, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The interaction of CMCS modified nanodiamond particles (NDCMCS) with protein drug as well as its protein drug release properties will be studied in the next step.